Assistant Professor
school of medicine, zanjan university of medical sciences (zums)
I am Tina Shahani, an assistant professor at the department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences (ZUMS). Investigation of endothelial cell biology in health and disease is my field of interest. With a
background in cell and molecular biology, I am trying to understand molecular mechanisms
of endothelial-related complications in human, particularly when coagulation Factor VIII
(FVIII) is involved. FVIII is a key player in blood coagulation. High FVIII levels are
associated with an increased incidence of venous thrombosis and thromboembolism.
Conversely, reduced levels of FVIII are responsible for the most severe hereditary bleeding
disorder, Hemophilia A.
My Ph.D. thesis performed at the center for molecular and vascular biology of KU Leuven (Belgium) involved studying human endothelial cells from various anatomical locations as the potential sites of FVIII production that was still plausible at that time;
despite our deep knowledge about the factor structure and function. The study demonstrated
endothelial cells from major organs including, heart, lung, kidney, skin and intestine are
capable of constitutive and regulated FVIII production. My post-doctoral project was
concentrated on the human liver as the main site of FVIII production to unravel the exact
FVIII producing cell type within this organ. In this study several methods were included for
deep characterization of isolated cells, such as FVIII functional assays and whole RNA
profiling using RNAseq. Since I left KU Leuven and joined ZUMS, I continued my previous work as well as got involved in genetic analysis of rare disorders including rare bleeding disorders.
Monday, July 11, 2022
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM